Temporary Baby
by Lynda-Lee
Summary: To keep custody of his cousin's baby, Merlin needs a husband fast. Enter rich business man, and Merlin's boss Arthur Pendragon. Rating may change to M in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Arthur Pendragon just wanted his assistant to come home, damn it.

Merlin Emrys had left seven days ago to attend a family funeral the time he'd been gone, his whole company had started falling apart. A major deal Merlin had been finessing had fallen through.. Arthur had missed an important deadline because the first temp had erased his online calender. The second temp had accidently sent R&D's latest prototype to Bejing instead of Bangalore. The head of HR had threatened to quit twice. And no fewer than five women had left his office in tears.

As if all of that wasn't bad enough, the third temp had deep-fried the coffee maker. So he hadn't had a decent cup of coffee in three days. All in all, this was not his best moment.

Was it really too much to ask that at this particular time-when both of his business partners were out of town and when he was putting the finishing touches on the proposal for a crucial contact-that his assistant just come home?

Arthur stared into his mug of instant coffee, contemplating whether he could ask Sofia-the head of HR-to go out and buy a coffee maker, or if that would send her over the edge. Not that Sofia was at the office yet. Most off the staff wandered in sometime around nine. It was barely even seven.

Yes, he could have gone out and bought himself a decent cup-or better yet, anew coffee maker-but with one deadline after another piling up, he just didn't have the time for this crap. If Merlin had been here, a new coffee maker would have magically appeared. The same with the deal with Olson Inc, it would have through without an hitch. When Merlin was here, things just works. How was it that in the five short years Merlin had been the executive assistant here he'd become as crucial to the running of the company as Arthur himself?

Hell, if this past week was any indication, Merlin was actually more important than he was. A sobering thought for a man who'd helped to build an empire out of nothing.

He knew only one thing, when Merlin finally did get back, he was going to do his damnedest to make sure he never left again.

Merlin Emry's crept into the executive office at AGE headquarters a little after seven. The motions sensor bought the lights up as he entered so reached down to extend the canopy on the infant car seat he carried. Mordred, the tiny baby inside, frowned but remained asleep. He made a soft gurgling sound as Merlin lowered the car seat to a darkened corner behind his desk.

He rocked the seat gently until Mordred stilled, then Merlin dropped into his own swivel chair. Swallowing past the knot of dread in his throat, Merlin studied the office.

For five years, this had been the seat from which he'd surveyed his domain. He'd served as executive assistant for the three men who ran AGE: Arthur Pendragon, Gwaine Knight and Edwin Carter.

His five years of Oxford education made him perhaps a tad over-educated for the job. Or maybe not, since he hadn't procured an actual degree in any of his seven majors. His family still though he was wasting his talents. But the work was challenging and varied. He'd loved every minute of it. Nothing could have convinced him to leave AGE.

Nothing, except the little bundle of joy asleep in the car seat.

When he'd left London for Ealdor to attend his cousin Will's funeral, he'd had no idea what awaited him. From the moment his mother called him to tell him that Will had died in a motorcycle crash, the week had been one shock after another. He hadn't even known that Will had a child. Yet, Now here Merlin was, guardian to an orphaned four-month-old baby. And gearing up for a custody battle of epic proportions. Mordred Collins might as well have been dipped in gold the way the family was fighting over him. If Merlin wanted any chance of winning, he'd have to do the one thing he'd sworn he'd never do: move back to Ealdor. And that meant resigning from AGE.

Only Will could cause this many problems from beyond the grave.

Merlin gave a snort of laughter at the thought. Grief welled up in the wake of humor. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pressed the heels of his hands against his eye sockets. Exhaustion made him overly emotional, and if he gave in to his sorrow now, he might not stop crying for a month.

There would be time to grieve later. Right now, he had other things to take care of.

Merlin switched on the desktop computer. Last night, he'd drafted the letter of resignation and then emailed it to himself. Of course, he could have sent it straight to Arthur, Gwaine and Edwin. He'd even spoken to Gwaine on the phone last night, when he called to offer his condolences. Physically handing in the letter was a formality, but he wanted the closure that would come with printing it out, signing it and hand delivering it to Arthur.

He owed him-or rather AGE-that much at least. Before his life had became so chaotic, he wanted to take this one moment to say goodbye to the Merlin and to the life he'd lived in London.

Beside him, the computer hummed to life with a familiarity that soothed his nerves. A few clicks later, he's opened the letter and routed it to the printer. The buzz of the printer seemed to echo through the otherwise quiet one else was here this early. No one but Arthur, who worked a grueling schedule.

After signing the letter, he left it on his desk and crossed to the closed door that separated his office from theirs, A wave of regret washed over him. He pressed his palm flat to the door, then with a sigh, dropped his forehead onto the wood just above his hand. The door was solid beneath his hand. Sturdy. Dependable. And he felt himself leaning against it, needing all the strength he could borrow.

"You can hardly blame Merlin," Edwin Carter pointed out, a note of censure in his voice. At the moment, Edwin was in the Caribbean, on his honeymoon. It was why they'd scheduled this conference call for so early. Edwin's new wife, Mithian, allowed him exactly one business call a day. "It's the first time in five years he's taken personal leave."

"I didn't say I blamed him-" Arthur said into the phone, now sorry he'd called Edwin at 'd had a legitimate reason for calling, but now it sounded as though he was just whining.

"When is he supposed to be back?" Edwin asked.

"He was supposed to be back four days ago." Merlin had said he would be in Ealdor two to three days, tops. After the funeral he had called from Ealdor to say he'd have to stay a little longer. The lack of specificity made Arthur nervous.

"Stop worrying," Edwin told him. "We'll have plenty of time after Gwaine and I get back." As if it wasn't bad enough that Edwin was on his honeymoon during this crisis, Gwaine and his family were also away visiting family in New York. "The proposal isn't due for nearly a month."

Yes. That was what bothered him. 'Nearly a month' and 'plenty of time' were about as imprecise as 'a little longer'.Arthur was a man who like precise numbers. If he was putting together an offer for a company worth millions, it mattered if the company was worth ten million or a hundred million. And if he had nearly a month to work on the proposal, he wanted to know how long 'a little longer was.'

Rather than take his frustrations out on his partner, Arthur ended the phone call. The Government contract was driving him crazy. Worse still, was the fact that no one else seemed to be worried about it. For the past several years, research, and development at AGE had been perfecting smart grid meters, devices that monitor and regulate a building's energy use. AGE's system was more efficient and better designed that anything else on the market. Sine they'd been using them at headquarters, they'd cut their electricity bills by thirty percent. The government contract would put AGE's smart grid meters in every office in the country. The private sector would soon follow. Plus the meters would boost the sales of other AGE products. How could he not be excited about something that was going to cut energy consumption and make AGE so much money?

Everything he had been working for and planning for the past decade was hinged on this one deal. It was the stepping-stone to AGE's future. But first they had to actually get the contract.

Once he snapped his laptop closed, he heard a faint thump at the door. He wasn't optimistic enough to imagine the temp might come in this early. But did he even dare hope that Merlin had finally returned?

He pushed his chair back and strode across the oversized office he normally shared with Gwaine and Edwin. When he opened the door, Merlin fell right into his arms.

Though falling through an open door was an apt metaphor for his life at the moment, nevertheless Merlin was surprised to find himself actually falling through the doorway. Arthur's arms instantly wrapped around him, cradling him against his strong chest. One shoulder was pressed against him and Merlin's free hand automatically came up to the lapel of his suit jacket.

Suddenly Merlin became aware of several things. The crisp scent of Arthur's soap. The sheer breadth of his chest. And the clean, just shaven line of his jaw, which was the first thing Merlin saw when he looked up.

Normally, Merlin did a good job of ignoring it, but Arthur Pendragon was the stuff of every gay young mans fantasies. He always looked on the verge of frowning, which lent his expression an air of thoughtful intensity. Though he rarely smiled, when he did, deep dimples creased his cheeks. At just shy of six feet, he wasn't too tall, but his physique more than made up for what he lacked in height. He had a build more suited to barroom brawls than board room negotiations. He was strong and muscular. Merlin had never seen his naked chest, but Arthur had a habit of shucking his suit jacket and rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt when he worked. Obviously, Merlin had spent too much time looking at him, but until this moment, he'd never that Arthur had a single mole on the underside of his perfectly square jaw.

Staring up into his gentle ble eyes, Merlin felt something unexpected pass between them. An awareness maybe. Some tension he'd never felt before. Or perhaps he was too smart to let himself feel.

Arthur swallowed. Fascinated, Merlin watched the muscles of his throat shift mere inches from his face. He flattened his palm and pushed himself out of his arms.

He was all too aware of Arthur's gaze following his every move. And even more aware that his outfit was inappropriate for work Arthur had never seen him in his jeans before. Certainly not topped with his favorite t-shirt, a retro Replacements concert t-shirt he'd bought online as his twenty first birthday present to himself. It was old and ratty, it bought him comfort. And today, he needed comfort more than he needed professionalism.

But bloody hell, he wished Arthur would stop looking at him with that hungry look.

It waqsn't the first time in the five years they had worked together that Arthur had given him that look. As if he was a temptation he had to resist. But it was the first time Merlin had let himself feel the slightest bit of need in return. Arthur may be the stuff of fantasies, but Merlin had watched up close and personal as Arthur proceeded to break countless hearts and he'd promised himself that he would never allow his name to added to the list of hearts broken by Arthur Pendragon.

Merlin could only hope that this new awareness he felt for him was the result of his perhaps his emotional vulnerability. Or maybe some bizarre hormone malfunction. At any rate, he wouldn't be around long enough for it to matter.

Arthur wanted to pull Merlin back into his arms. He didnt, of course. But he wanted to.

Instead, he held open the office door with one hand and shoved the other deep into his trouser pocket, hoping to hide the effect that Merlin's nearness had on his body. As ridiculous as it was, in the first few seconds he'd held his tempting, skinny assistant against his chest, his body had responded. Only Merlin's shoulder and the palm of his hand had touched him and he'd still gone rock hard.

Of course he'd felt that punch of desire for Merlin before. But normally he was better at schooling his response to him. Then again, he was usually dressed in bland business style clothes. Not today. Merlin's faded jeans and his t-shirt hung loose on him, its wide neck baring a tempting swath of collarbone.

He swallowed again, forcing his gaze back up to Merlin's face searching for something to say. Something other than 'Lose the shirt.'

"I trust your trip went well." He finally ventured.

Merlin frowned and took a step back.

Then he remembered that Merlin had been to a funeral. Hardly the kind of trip that would go well. "I'm sorry for your loss." He added. Merlin's frown deepened. Were those tears in his eyes? "However, I am very glad to have you back." He sounded like an idiot, which was not wholly unexpected. He didn't deal well with emotional people.

"I-" Merlin started.

Then he broke off again. He turned away from Arthur and pressed his hands to his face. If the tension in his shoulders was anything to go by, Arthur was sure he was about two seconds from bursting into tears.

In five years, Merlin had been nothing but completely professional, If he was going to break into tears, why couldn't he have done it when Gwaine was here to deal with him? Gwaine had three sisters, a mother and a step-mother so surely he was better prepared to deal with this sort of thing.

Arthur followed him into the office and placed a hand on his back. It was meant to be comforting, but he was instantly aware that that he'd placed it on the shoulder bared by his shirt. Merlin twisted to look at him, his eyes wide and surprised, damp with unshed tears, but lit with something else as-well. He bit his lip before pulling free from the touch.

And then Arthur heard it, the unmistakable sound of someone crying, but not an adults cry. And it wasn't coming from Merlin.

Confused, Arthur walked in and scanned the room for the source of the sound. It wasn't an all out screaming. More of a soft mewling noise. Like a puppy might make. The room appeared empty,. He moved toward the sound as Merlin rushed up behind him and practically threw himself in his path.

"I can explain." He held up one hand as if warding off an attack.

"Explain what?" Arthur asked as he dodged around him to look behind the desk. His chair had been shifted to the side and where Merlin normally sat was an infants car seat. And in it was a pale blue bundle.

He turned around to face Merlin. "What is it?" He demanded.

"That is a baby"

Arthur's shock was palpable. If he didn't know any better, Merlin would have thought he'd never seen a baby before. Though he imagined they were rare in Arthur's life, surely he must have encountered at least one. After all, Gwaine had one himself. Arthur must have been in the room with his best friends child at some point.

He dashed around him and squatted down beside the car seat. He gave the back of it a gentle nudge but Mordred continued to fuss. Mordred's sleepy eyes flickered open, blinked and then landed on Merlin.

Something inside of Merlin tightened into a knot. A gut-level reaction to those bright blue eyes. perhaps the only thing he'd felt stronger than that burst of attraction he'd felt for Arthur just now.

Of course he couldn't have Arthur. He wasn't stupid enough to try. But for now, he did have Mordred. And he'd do anything in his power to keep him.

Merlin unfastened the buckle strapping Mordred in and picked up the blue cotton bundle. Snuggling the baby close to his chest, he pressed his lips close to the babys ear and made shushing noises. Then he drew in a breath scented like tear free shampoo and pure love.

Suddenly feeling self conscious, he looked up to find Arthur watching him, a frown on his face.

He tried to smile but felt it wavering under the weight of his shifting emotions. "Arthur, meet Mordred."

"Right." Arthur said bracingly and he looked from him to the baby then all around the room as if searching for the spaceship that must have dropped off this strange creature.

"What is it doing in our office?"

"He's in here because I bought him here." Which maybe hadn't been the smartest move, but he and Mordred had only gotten back the previous evening after driving from Wales. With less that seventy two hours parenting experience, Merlin hadn't known what else to do with Mordred. "I didn't have anyone else to watch him. And I don't think he's ready to be left with a stranger yet anyway. I mean, I'm strange enough, right? And-"

Arthur cut him off. "Merlin, why do you have a baby?" His gaze dropped to Merlin's belly, suspicion lighting his gaze. "He's not...yours...is he?" .

Merlin was glad he'd cut him off, because he'd been babbling, but at the same time dreading the conversation to come, because Arthur was not going to like what he had to say. Still, when he glanced down at the sixteen pound baby, he had to laugh.

"No. I didn't go away for seven days and miraculously get pregnant, then deliver a four month-old. He's-" His throat closed over the words, but he forced himself to say them. "He's my cousin's. Will named me guardian. So Mordred is mine now."

There was a long moment of silence during which, Arthur's expression was so blank, so unchanging that Merlin thought he might have suffered a stroke.

"I-" Arthur began. Then he looked down at Mordred, his frown deepening. "Well-" He looked back at Merlin and cocked his head to the side. "It seems Sofia was right. On-site childcare was a good idea. I'm sure he'll be just fine there."

Dread settled in Merlin's belly. As well as something else, Sorrow. Nostalgia maybe. He didn't want to leave AGE. Even though he was just an assistant here, he'd never felt more at home anywhere else. Professionally or personally. Working at AGE had given him purpose and direction. Something his family had never understood.

"I'm not going to bring Mordred to work." He began. And then decided there was no point pussyfooting around this. "I'm not coming to work anymore. I came in today to resign."


	2. Chapter 2

"Don't be ridiculous." Arthur barked, too shocked to temper the edge of his words. "Nobody quits work because they have a baby, much less because they inherit one."

Merlin rolled his eyes in exasperation. :That's not-" He started, but Arthur held up a hand to cut him off.

"I know how stupid that sounded." This was why he needed Merlin. Why he was irreplaceable. Most of the time, he was too outspoken. Too brash. He had a history of pissing people off who were easily offended. But not Merlin. Somehow he managed to see past his mistakes and overlook his blunders.

The thought of trying to function without Merlin here as his buffer made him panic. He wasn't about to lose him over a baby.

"AGE has one of the highest-rated on-site child care facilities in the area. There's no reason why you can't continue to work here."

"I can't work here because I have to move back to Ealdor."As he spoke, Merlin crossed to the supply cupboard in the corner. He moved a few things around and then pulled out an empty cardboard box.

"Why on earth would you want to move to Ealdor?"

"You know I'm from Ealdor, Right?" Merlin asked.

"Which is why I don't know why you'd want to move back there. I've never once heard you say anything nice about living there."

Merlin bobbed his head as if in concession of the point. Then he shrugged. Rounding to the far side of the desk, he sank down into the chair and opened his drawer. "It's complicated."

"I think I can keep up."

"There's a chance members of my family wont want me to raise Mordred. Unless I can convince I'm a suitable father for him, there'll be a custody battle."

"So?" Arthur asked. "You don't think you can win this custody battle from here?"

"I don't think I can afford to fight it." Sifting through the drawer, Merlin answered without looking up. He pulled out a handful of personal belongings and dropped them into the open box.

Arthur watched him for a moment, barely comprehending his words and not understanding Merlin's actions at all. "What are you doing?"

Merlin paused, glancing up. "Packing." He said as if stating the obvious. Then he looked back in the drawer and riffled through a few things. "Gwaine called yesterday to offer his condolences. When I explained, he said not to worry about giving two-weeks notice. That if I needed to just pack up and go, I should."

Forget fifteen years of friendship. Arthur was going to kill Gwaine.

The baby squirmed, Merlin jostled him on his knee to calm the little boy, all the while still digging in the drawer.

:You can't just quit!"

Merlin stood up, abandoning his task. "You think I want this? You think I want to move? Back to Ealdor, Back to bloody Wales? You think I want to leave a job I loved? So that I can move home? Well I don't, but it's my only option."

"How will being unemployed in Ealdor solve anything?" Arthur demanded.

"I-" Mordred squirmed again in his arms and let out a bawl of protest. Merlin sighed, sank back into the chair and set it rocking with a pump of his leg. "I may not have mentioned it before, but my family has money."

He hadn't mentioned it. He'd never needed to.

People who grew up with money had an air about them. It wasn't snobbery. Not precisely. It was more of a sense of confidence that came from always having the best of everything. It was the kind of thing you only noticed if you'd never had money and spent your life trying to replicate that air of entitlement.

Besides there was an intimate elegance to Merlin that was in direct contrast to his elfin appearance and plucky verve. Yet somehow he pulled it off.

"From money?" Arthur said dryly. "I never would have guessed."

Merlin seemed too distracted to notice his sarcasm. "My Grandfather set up a trust fund for me. For all the grandkids, actually. I never claimed mine. The requirements seemed too ridiculous."

"And the requirements are?"

"I have to work for the family company and live within fifteen miles of my parents." He narrowed his eyes as if glaring at some unseen relative. "So if I move home now-"

"You can claim the trust fund." Arthur summed up."You'd have enough money to hire a lawyer if it does come down to a custody battle."

"I'm hoping it wont come to that. My Grandmother still controls the purse strings. The rest of the family will follow her wishes, once she sees what a great father I'm going to be, she'll back off and just let me raise Mordred." Merlin's jaw jutted forward in determination. "But if it comes down to a custody battle, I want to make sure I have enough money to put up a good fight."

"I don't get it. You're doing all this for a cousin you barely knew? Someone you haven't seen in years?"

Merlin's eyes misted over and for a second Arthur thought that-dear God-he might actually start crying. He squeezed the baby close to his chest and planted a kiss on top of his head. Then Merlin pinned him with a steady gaze brimming with resolution. "If something happened to Gwaine and Morgana, and they wanted you to take Freya, wouldn't you do whatever it took to honor their wishes?"

All Arthur could do in response was shove his hands deep into his pockets and swallow a curse. Damn it, Merlin was right.

He stared a the adorable tot on Merlin's lap, summing up his competition. He wasn't about to lose the best assistant he'd ever had. He didn't care how cute and helpless that baby was.

Mordred undoubtedly needed Merlin. But he needed him too.

Fighting the feeling of complete and utter doom-which quite frankly, was a fight he'd been losing ever since the nanny first handed him Mordred-Merlin glanced from the baby, to the open desk drawer and then to Arthur.

He had so much to do, his mind couldn't focus on a single task. Or maybe it was the lack of sleep. Or maybe just an attack of nerves bought on by the way Arthur kept pacing from one side of the room to the other, pausing occasionally to glower in his direction.

When he'd first started work at AGE, Arthur had made him distinctly nervous. There was something about the combination of good looks, Keen intelligence and ruthless ambition that made Merlin overly aware of every molecule of his body. And every molecule of Arthur's body for that matter. He'd spent the first six months on edge, jumping every time Arthur came into the room, nearly trembling under his gaze. It wasn't nerves precisely. More of a kind of tingling anticipation. As if he were a gazelle who wanted to be eaten by the lion.

He'd forced himself to get over it.

And Merlin thought he had been successful. Only now that feeling was back. Either he could chalk it up to exhaustion and emotional vulnerability. Or he could be completely honest with himself. It wasn't nerves. It was sexual awareness. And now he was about to walk out of Arthur's life forever, he wished he had acted on it when he'd had the chance.

Forcing his mind away from that thought, he stared at the open desk drawer. The best he could hope for now was to gather his few remaining possessions and make a run for it.

He had a Voldemort for Prime minister mug in the bottom drawer, his apple iPod dock, a packet of fruit pastels and a bag of chocolate caramel's. Precious few possessions to be walking away with after five years, and the cardboard box dwarfed them. On the bright side, at least he only had to make one trip out to the car.

Balancing Mordred on his hip, Merlin wedged the box under his arm only to find Arthur blocking his route to the door.

"You can't go" He said.

"Right. The car seat. I can't believe I forgot that." He turned back around, only to notice the nappy bag as well. He blew out a breath. Okay. More than one trip after all.

"No." Arthur said. "I'm not letting you quit."

Turning back around, he stared at him. "Not letting me? How can you not let me? If I quit, I quit!"

"Your the best assistant I've ever had. I'm not going to lose you over something this-" He seemed to be searching for the least offensive word. "Frivolous."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "H e's a child, not a frivolity. It's not like I'm running off to join the circus."

There was something unsettling about the quiet, assessing way Arthur studied him. Then he said "If keeping this baby is really so important to you, we'll hire a lawyer. We'll find the best lawyer in the country and we'll take care of it."

Merlin felt his throat tighten, but refused to let the tears out of the floodgate. Oh, how tempting it was to accept his help. But the poor man had no idea what he was getting into.

"You should know my family is extremely wealthy. If they fight this, they'll put considerable financial and political weight behind it."

"So?" Arthur asked. Looking puzzled.

Merlin blew out a long breath. The moment of reckoning. He had always dreaded this. "Emrys is my mother's maiden name. I legally took her name when I left college."

Arthur didn't look impatient, the way some people did when he explained. That was one of the things he like best about Arthur. He reached conclusions quickly, but never judgments.

"My father's name-" Then he corrected himself. "My real last name is Morgan."

Most people, it took a couple of minutes for them to put together the name Morgan with wealth and political connections. He figured as smart as he was, It would take Arthur about twenty seconds. It took him three.

"As far as I know, none of the banking Morgan's live in Ealdor. That means you must be one of the political Morgan's."

He didnt bother phrasing it as a question. His tone had gone flat, his gaze distant.

"I am." Merlin bit his lip, not bothering to hide his cringe. "I should have told you."

"No. Why would you have?" Arthur's expression was so blank, so unsurprised, so completely disinterested, that it was obvious, at least to Merlin, that he cared deeply that he'd kept his true identity to himself. Arthur's calm, distant gaze met his. "Then the MP Henry Morgan is-"

"My uncle." In the interest of full disclosure, he nodded to the baby gurgling happily on his hip. "Mordred's grandfather."

"Okay then." Arthur stood with his hands propped on his hips, the jacket of his suit pushed behind his hands. He often stood in that way and it always made Merlin's heart kick up a beat. The posture somehow emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the narrowness of his waist all at the same time.

Despite his disappointment, Arthur immediately went into problem solving mode. He stared at Merlin blankly, then left the room abruptly.A moment later he returned with a copy of the Financial Times. He flipped the paper over, folded it in half and passed it to Merlin. "So, William Morgan is your cousin. The baby's father?"

It was an article about his death. The first Merlin had seen. He didn't need to read it to know what it would say. It would be carefully crafted. Devoid of scandal. William may have been an embarrassment but uncle Henry would have called in favors to make sure the article met his approval. That was the way his uncle did business, whether he was running the country or running his family.

Arthur frowned as he scanned the article. Hie eyes crinkled at the edges as his face settled in what Merlin thought of as his problem solving expression. But if he could figure a way out of this one, then he was smarter than even Merlin thought he was.

"It says here he is survived by a brother and sister-in-law. Why can't they take the baby?."

"Exactly." Merlin said grimly. "Why not? It's what every conservative in the country will be thinking. Those conservative voters made up a huge portion of uncle Henry's constituents."

And they weren't the only ones who had that question. It was no secret that their grandmother Mary, didn't approve of modern families. In her mind, a family consisted of two parents and possibly a dog. Mary would want Henry to take Mordred. And what Mary wanted was generally what the family did.

She may have been in her eighties, but she was a wily old lady. More importantly, she still controlled the money.

"It's so frustrating." Merlin admitted. "This wouldn't even be an issue if I had a husband. I could trot out to appease my grandmother and Uncle Henry's constituents."

"You really think that's all you need?"

"For my family to see me as the perfect father?" Merlin gave a fake, trilling laugh. "Oh, Yes, a husband is the must have accessary this season. The richer, the better.. Optional additions are the gas-guzzling Aston Martin, a mansion and a gold membership to the friar's club."

"You really think it's that simple?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, sure. That simple. I'll just head over to the laboratory and whip up a successful husband out of space computer parts. You run to the morgue and steal a body I can reanimate and we'll be good!"

Arthur's lips quirked in a smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners, just a hint of cockiness. The expression gave Merlin pause, because Arthur wasn't laughing at his joke. No, he knew this look too. It was his I've-solved-the-problem look.

"I think we can do a bit better than that." Arthur said smugly.

"Excuse me?"

"You said yourself. All you need is a rich, successful husband." He continued. Still looking far too smug.

For a moment Merlin just stared blankly at him, unable to follow the abrupt twist the conversation had taken. "Right. A rich, successful husband. Which I don't have."

"But you could have." Arthur said smiling fully now. Full smiles were rare for him. Usually they made Merlin feel a little breathless. This one just made him feel nervous. "I'll even buy you a dog."


	3. Chapter 3

Having never before asked a man to marry him, Arthur wasn't quite sure what reaction he expected, but it wasn't Merlin's blank-faced confusion. Or maybe that was a perfectly normal reaction under the circumstances. After all, it wasn't every day a man proposed to his assistant for such transparently selfish reasons.

For a long moment, Merlin merely stared at him, his blue eyes wide, his perfect bow mouth gaping open in surprise.

Merlin wasn't just surprised. He was disconcerted. Arthur's proposal had shocked him, Maybe even offended him. On some intimate level, the thought of marriage to Arthur horrified him.

Not that Arthur could blame him. Despite his wealth, he was no prize.

He was going to say no, and Arthur couldn't let him do it. He needed him. Quite desperately, if the past seven days had been any indication.

"I'm not proposing a romantic relationship." Arthur reasoned, hoping to make his proposal seem as begin as possible.

"Obviously." Merlin muttered. Still holding the baby in his arms, he sunk to the edge of the desk and dipped his head, nuzzling the tuft of dark hair on Mordred's head.

"This would be a strictly business arrangement." Arthur argued more vehemently as he felt him slipping away. "We'll stay married as long as it takes to convince your family that we're suitable parents. We won't even have to live together. I'll grant you an annulment as soon as we've convinced them."

"No." Merlin said softly.

Arthur felt a pang in his chest at his response. Then he saw it. Merlin's letter of resignation. Signed, dated and ready to be handed over. As official as an order for his execution.

This past week had been a premonition of his future without Merlin. He could envision an endless parade of incompetent temps. Countless hours of interviewing assistants, all of whom would fail to live up to the precedent set by Merlin. The government contract would slip through his fingers just as the Olson deal had lost millions on that one. Which was nothing compared to what they'd miss if they didn't secure this contract. He could feel the stepping-stone slipping out from under him., the future he'd planned out for the company dissolving before his very eyes.

Panic mounting, Arthur kept talking. "If your worried about sex, don't be. I certainly don't expect to sleep with you."

Merlin's gaze darted to his as he bolted to his feet. "No." Then he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "What I meant was..." He drew in a deep breath. "...a fast annulment wouldn't work."

Just as quickly Merlin's eyes shifted from his. In that moment, a powerful message passed between them.

Not once in all the years they had worked together had they talked about sex. They had shared countless other intimacies. Eaten meals together late at night. He'd had Merlin fall asleep with his head on his shoulder somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. They had slept in hotel rooms with walls so thin he'd heard the sound of Merlin rolling over in his bed. And yet despite all that, neither of them had ever broached the subject of sex.

But now the word had been said aloud, it was there between them, was permanently lodged in his brain.

He found himself oddly pleased by the faint blush that crept into Merlin's cheeks as he couldn't meet his gaze.

"If we're going to do this-" Merlin shot him a look from under his lashes as if he were trying to assess his commitment. "-then we'll have to go all in."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, speculatively. Merlin wasn't saying no. Instead Merlin was making a counter offer. Arthur felt a grin split his face. Just when he thought he knew Merlin, he always managed to find a way to surprise him.

"We cant get an annulment in three or even six months." Merlin said. "My family will see right through that. In a year, maybe two, we'll have to get divorced. Simply pretend the marriage didn't work out."

"I see." Arthur said.

Merlin shook his head. "No. I don't think you do. I'm committed to fighting for Mordred. I'll do whatever I have to. But I cant ask you to do the same."

"Your not asking." Arthur pointed out. "I'm offering. And just so that we're clear, I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart." The last thing he needed right now was Merlin developing some starry-eyes notions about his motives. "I'm doing this to keep you working at AGE. Your're the best assistant I've ever had."

Merlin threw up a hand to interrupt him. "This is ridiculous. Just hire another assistant. I'll even help you find one. There are plenty of other competent people in the city."

"But none of them are you. I need you." Arthur argued. "None of them know the company the way you do. None of them would care about what AGE does the way you do."

Merlin seemed to be considering for a moment, then admitted."Well, that's true."

"Besides I don't have the time or the energy to train someone else. My motives are very selfish." Arthur said.

"Trust me, I wasn't about to swoon from the romanticism of the moment." Merlin's lips twisted in a wry smile. "I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into. If my family suspects what we're up to-"

"Then we'll convince them that our marriage has nothing to do with Mordred." Arthur stated.

Merlin's eyebrows shot up. "Convince them we're in love?"

"Exactly."

Merlin gave a snort of laughter. Baby Mordred squirmed in response. Merlin turned his head and gave Arthur a look of annoyance. If a baby could be annoyed, Obviously he wasn't going back to his tiny hands against Merlin's chest, he pushed away as if he wanted to be set free.

Merlin crossed to the nappy bag sitting on his desk. Arthur hadn't even noticed it before, but when Merlin tried to unzip it with one hand, he moved to help him. He brushed Merlin's fingers aside and un-zipped the bag. "What do you need."

"The blanket. That blue one there. Spread it out on the floor." Merlin instructed.

Once the blanket was set out, Merlin situated the baby on his belly in the center of it.

The sight of the baby in the middle of AGE's executive offices was so incongruous Arthur could barely remember what they'd been talking about. Oh. Right. Merlin had been snorting with laughter over the idea of them being in love.

"So you don't think we can convince your family we're romantically involved.? He asked.

Merlin was back at the nappy bag now, pulling out an array of brightly colored toys. "No offense, Arthur, but in the five years I've been here, I don't think I"ve ever seen you romantically involved."

"That's ridiculous, I-"

Merlin held up his hands to ward off his protests. "With anyone. Oh, I know you've dated plenty of men, and women." He stressed the 'plenty' as if it was an insult. "But romance is not your strong suit."

Dropping to his knees, he stragetically placed the toys in an arc in front of the baby. By now, Mordred had wedged himself up on his elbows.

"You think I can't be romantic?" Arthur asked.

"I think you approach your love life with all the warmth and spontaneity of a long-term strategic planning committee."

"You're saying ...What?...That I'm a cold fish?" Arthur's voice came out tight and strained.

There was something very matter-of-fact about Merlin's tone. As if he were stating the obvious. As if it hadn't even occurred to him that this might be an insult.

"Not really." Merlin tilted his head to the side, his attention focused on Mordred. He nudged a stuffed elephant closer to the baby. Arthur didn't know if the topic made Merlin uncomfortable or if the infant toys were really just that fascinating. "More that you keep your emotions under control" Apparently satisfied with the arrangement of toys, Merlin stood, dusting his hands off. "You're a dispassionate man. There's nothing wrong with-"

Okay, Arthur had, had enough. He strode towards Merlin, pulled him into his arms and kissed him.

Arthur didn't know what pushed him over the edge. Whether it was Merlin's amending lecture about how dispassionate he was. Or the fact that ever since he said the word 'sex' aloud a few minutes ago he hadn't been able to get it out of his head. Or maybe it was the tempting bit of shoulder Merlin's shirt kept exposing.

Whatever it was, his restrain snapped and he had to kiss him. And then, he couldn't stop.

Merlin had not seen it coming. One minute, he was trying to calm Mordred down, keep him distracted enough so he could keep talking to Arthur. Because frankly, Merlin was having enough trouble concentrating on the logistics of the conversation without Mordred breaking out into all-out-fussiness.

And then, a second later his body was pressed against Arthur and his mouth was moving over his in a kiss heaven made to knock his socks off.

One hand cradled behind his jaw, Arthur's fingertips were rough against the sensitive skin of his cheek. The other was wrapped firmly around his waist, Arthur's hand strong against his back, pressing him so close to him he could feel the buttons of Arthur's shirt through the thin cotton of his t-shirt.

The kiss was completely unexpected. When Arthur had crossed the room to him, the lines of his face taut, his expression so full of intent, it had never occurred to Merlin that he was going to kiss him.

Sure in the past, he'd imagined what it might be like to kiss Arthur. After all, they'd worked side by side for because Merlin had a modicum of restraint, it didn't mean he was the pure perfection of his exterior, Merlin had always imagined that in the bedroom, Arthur was very much how he was in the boardroom. Analytical. Logical. In control. Dispassionate.

Bloody hell, had he been wrong.

Arthur's lips didn't just kiss his. They devoured him. He felt Arthur's tongue in his mouth, stroking his, coaxing a response, all but demanding he participate, until Merlin found himself leaning forward to wrap his arms around Arthur's neck, brushing his palm against the bristle of soft hair on the back of his head.

The kiss was hot and endless. Arthur tasted faintly of coffee and fresh minty toothpaste and deeply burned longing. Arthur stirred feelings within him that Merlin had never even backed him up a step. And then another. Merlin felt the edge of his desk bump against the back of his legs. And still, Arthur pressed into him, bending him so his back arched.

An image flashed through his mind of Arthur sweeping the desk clear, pressing him down onto his desk and taking him right there. The idea came to him so completely, it was as though it had been right there in the back of his mind for years. Just waiting for Arthur's kiss to pull it out of him.

There was no one else in the building. Why shouldn't they give into this thing between them? Merlin couldn't think of a single reason not to.

He still hadn't thought of one a moment later when Arthur pulled his mouth from his and stepped away. Arthur cleared his throat, then tugged down the hem of his jacket to straighten it.

Arthur left Merlin aching for him. Missing the warmth of his body, even though he was only a foot away. Wishing he had some idea of why Arthur had kissed him. Why he'd stopped...

Mordred.

Oh, Crap. Mordred!

Merlin looked past Arthur to where mordred still lay on his belly on the floor.

Bloody hell. He'd only been a father for less than four days and already he had abandoned his son on the floor to make out with his boss. Maybe his family was right. Maybe he really was unfit to be Mordred's father.

His gaze sought Arthur who had crossed to the other side of the room so that Mordred lay between them like a land-mine.

Arthur ran a hand across his jaw, then shoved his hand deep in to his pockets. Merlin had never seen him look quite so disconcerted. Though he still looked less shaken than Merlin, himself, felt.

"Well." Arthur began, then swallowed visibly. "I think we can both agree that if I need to I can convince your family that I am more than just your boss,"

"Yeah. I think so." Agreed Merlin, then he paused for a beat while Arthur's words sunk in. "That is what this was about?" For a second confusion swirled through him, muddling his thoughts even further. "You kissed me merely to make a point?"

"I-" Arthur shrugged, apparently at a loss for words.

Indignation pushed past Merlin's embarrassment. "I was seconds away from dropping my pants and you were making a point?"

For an instant, Arthur's gaze fell to Merlin's feet as if imaging his pants lying swallowed again as he dragged his gaze back to Merlin's, then ran a hand down his face.

Well, it least Merlin wasn't the only one whose world had been rocked.

"It seemed a prudent move." Arthur said stiffly.

Merlin nearly snorted his derision. Prudent? The kiss had curled his toes all the way up to his kneecaps and seemed prudent to him?

"Oh, that is wrong in so many ways. I don't even know where to start."

Arthur tried to interrupt him. "Actually-"

But Merlin cut him off with a wag of his finger. "No, wait a second. I do know where to you think offering to marry me for Mordred's sake gives you an all-access pass to this-" He waved a hand in front of his body. "-then you have another thing coming." Arthur looked as if he might say something to protest, but Merlin didn't give him the chance. "And secondly, you have no business kissing me merely to make a point."

And then-because he realized that was practically an invitation to kiss him for other reasons-he added. "In fact you have no business kissing me at all. If we're going to do this pretend-marriage thing, we need to set some boundaries. And thirdly...Well I have no idea what thirdly is yet, but I"m sure it will come to me eventually."

For a long moment Arthur merely stared at him, one eyebrow slightly arched, his lips curved to just hint at his amusement. "Are you done?"

Merlin clamped his lips together, painfully aware of how cool and collected Arthur seemed when he'd just been rambling like an idiot. A surefire sign that his emotional state was neither cool or calm.

Maybe merlin was wrong about the kiss affecting Arthur as much as it did him. And wouldn't that just suck. Didn't he have enough on his plate just now? This was not the first time for him to be nursing a crush on his boss. Or his husband.

When had his life gotten so complicated?

On the floor between them, Mordred wedged his tiny hands under him to push up on to his forearms. He let out an excited squeal of pride.

Right, This was when his life had gotten complicated. Approximately five days ago in his grandmothers study when the lawyer dropped Will's will on him like a bomb.

Merlin let loose a sigh of frustration. "I'm sorry." He said. "None of this is your fault. I shouldn't take it out on you. I just-"

"I agree we need boundaries." Arthur said abruptly, cutting him off before he could bumble further into the apology. His tone was stiff, as if he was searching for the most diplomatic way to broach the subject. "Keeping sex out of this is a good idea. However, kissing you know seemed prudent because we will have to kiss again at some point."

"We will?" Merlin asked weakly, his gaze dropping to Arthur's mouth.

"Naturally."

Merlin felt a curious beat stirring deep inside at the idea. Arthur was going to kiss him again, Soon? He hoped so. Even if it was a very bad idea, he hoped so.

"If we're going to convince people we're in love and getting married, people will expect certain displays of affection."

"Oh. I hadn't thought..." There was a lot Merlin hadn't considered about this idea. He didn't know whether or not to be thankful that Arthur's brain worked so much faster than his own. Was it a good thing Arthur was around to consider things he hadn't? Or was it merely annoying to always be one step behind?

"The people who know us will be hardest to Gwaine and Edwin will both be out of town for another few weeks. We'll have to get used to the idea ourselves before we see them."

"Gwaine and Edwin? Surely we don't need to lie to them?" Merlin asked. Arthur had been best friends with Gwaine and Edwin since they were kids.

Arthur leveled a steady gaze at him. There was no hesitation. No doubt. "Yes, we do. If your family decides to fight us on this, it could mean a court battle. I can't ask either of them to lie for us."

"Oh." Feeling suddenly weak, Merlin sank back to the edge of the desk.

Of course they couldn't ask Gwaine and Edwin to lie for them. In the five years he had worked with AGE, he'd served as executive assistant for all three men equally.

They worked so closely together they'd decided long ago it was easier to share one assistant among the three of them. Undoubtedly that was why they'd gone through so many assistants before he'd come along. Managing the schedules and needs of three such disparate men was no easy task. In short, he was a miracle worker.

If the thought of lying to them was this difficult for him, then how must Arthur feel about the matter?

He propelled himself forward away from the desk and crossed to stand in front of Arthur. Gazing into his ocean-blue eyes, Merlin studied him "This is a crazy and ridiculous plan. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Arthur's lips curved into a slight smile. His eyes lit with a reckless gleam as they crinkled at the corners, giving Merlin the distinct impression that he was enjoying this. "Yeah, I'm sure. If there's one thing I know, it's how to make the strategic risk pay off."

The resolve in his gaze was as clear as the doubt probably was in Merlin's own,

"Okay." Merlin said as he moved to scoop Mordred into his arms. "Lets do this."

Arthur's face broke in to a full grin. He gave a brisk nod then spun on his heel, moving toward his office as he started barking orders, back into full boss mode.

"First off, email Gwaine and Edwin and schedule another teleconference for later in the day. Then call Gaius Williams to see if he has time in his schedule to perform the Friday. Clear my schedule and yours for the next two weeks."

Merlin was used to having Arthur rattle of a to-do list like this. Even trying to juggle Mordred, he kept up pretty well. Until he got to the last item on the list. "Wait a second. Clear our schedules? What are we going to be doing? And what about the government contract?"

"We'll work on that this week. And we'll have another couple of weeks after we get back. It'll be tight, but I have no doubt we'll get it done." Arthur said.

"Get back? Get back from where?"

Arthur paused by his desk and looked up at him, the cocky smile still on his face. "From our honeymoon."

"Our honeymoon?" Surprise pitched Merlin's voice high.

"Don't get too excited. We're just going to Ealdor. If we're going to win this battle with your family, we need to go on the offensive. That means taking the fight to them."


	4. Chapter 4

When Arthur called Merlin into his office the next morning, he was surprised to see Lance Noble there. Lance had gone to college with Arthur, Gwaine and Edwin before going on to law school. He'd occasionally done work with AGE, before they'd hired an intellectual property legal department, but that had been long before Merlin's time. He was more confused than surprised when he walked into the conference room and saw Lance there-looking more harried than usual.

Arthur stood at the far end of the room, his back to the door, staring out at the view of London sprawling below. Lance sat in the center of the table, stacks of paper spread out before him. The lawyer looked up when Merlin entered. He half stood and offered him a strained smile.

"Oh, good. You're here." Lance said as if he'd been waiting for him. "We can get started.'

"Hi, Lance." Merlin said looking past him to Arthur.

"What's up?" He asked when Arthur turned round.

Arthur frowned and with unusual hesitancy said, "I asked Lance here to draw up a pre-nuptial agreement for us." He held out a hand to ward off some protest he imagined Merlin might make. "Don't worry. I trust his discretion."

"I'm not worried." Merlin stated. In fact, delighted was more like it. "Calm down, I think a prenup is a fantastic idea."

"You do?" Lance looked surprised.

"Why wouldn't I?" Merlin sat down in the chair opposite Lance. "I assume Arthur told you why he's helping me?"

Lance gave him a little nod, still looking suspicious.

"This is a marriage custom-made for a prenup." Merlin explained.

Lance ran a hand over his hair, which today looked disheveled, though it was normally miraculously styled. "This is not my area of expertise. I told Arthur he should hire a good family lawyer, but-" Lance winced.

"But Arthur can be very pig-headed." Merlin helped.

"I was going to say determined."

No wonder the poor guy looked so disconcerted. Arthur had obviously intimidated him into drawing up the prenup. And doing it on a very tight schedule, Since Arthur had proposed less than twenty-four hours ago.

"Don't worry." Merlin reached across the table and patted Lance's hand. "I'm sure you did great. It's all very cut-and-dry."

Arthur took a few steps closer to loom over them from the end of the table. He'd shoved his hands into his pockets in that way Merlin found so distracting.

This was the man who was going to be his husband. In less than a week. Merlin's stomach tightened at the thought.

"Okay, Let's see this puppy. It's just your standard prenup, right?" Merlin asked.

Reaching for the stack of papers in front of Lance, Merlin clapped his hands in a way that was overly cheerful, neither of the other two men noticed. Lance was too busy sending Arthur a pointed glance and Arthur was too busy glaring Lance into intimidated silence.

Merlin looked from one man to the other. "This is a standard prenup? Right?"

Arthur cleared his throat and loomed some more.

"You have nothing to worry about. Any assets you bring to the marriage or inherit while married revert to you upon the absolution of the union." Lance flushed bright as he spoke.

Ignoring Arthur, Merlin looked pointedly at Lance. "That's not what I asked, now, is it?"

Lance cleared his throat. "You...um...have nothing to worry about."

"Yes. You said that already. What about him?" Merlin said as he nodded in Arthur's direction

"The prenup was written to my specification," Arthur said tightly. "I'm satisfied."

Which was not the same thing at all.

Lance blushed all the way to his hairline, but refused to look at him. Arthur, on the other hand, met his gaze without even flinching, which made Merlin more nervous.

"Give me a minute." Neither men budged. "Alone. With the prenup.' Still no movement from the united front. "Either you give me the time to read it or you-' Merlin pointed at Lance. "-tell me what he doesn't want me to see."

Lance looked to Arthur, who glowered at Merlin for a second before granting a tight nod. Lance then pulled Merlin's copy closer and flipped to a page midway through.

Merlin scanned the paragraph, then read it aloud to give voice to his exasperation. "In the event of separation, annulment or divorce, the following premarital assets belonging to Arthur Pendragon shall transfer to Merlin Emrys-the monetary value of twenty percent of all real property, tangible property, securities and cash owned by-"

Merlin broke off in frustration, too stunned to continue. He glared at both of them. "Whose idea was this ridiculous clause?"

Lance held up his hands. "Not mine."

"But you let him include this? Are you insane?" Merlin clenched and unclenched his fingers the pen Lance had handed him as Lance gave him a what-can-you-do shrug. Merlin smiled tightly at him and said through clenched teeth. "Will you please give me a minute alone with my future husband?"

Lance skittered away like a death-row inmate given a pardon. Merlin didn't blame him. Someone was going down and he wouldn't want to get caught in the crossfire either.

The second they were alone, Merlin turned to Arthur. "Twenty percent? Twenty? Are you crazy?"

Arthur at least had the good sense to try to look placating "Now, Merlin..."

"You know I'm not taking twenty percent!"

"After two years being married to me, you may think you've earned it"

Merlin blew out a breath of exasperation. "I'm not taking a single penny of your money."

"If you don't sign the prenup, you're entitled to half of everything I earn whilst we're together. For all you know that could be more than this twenty percent." Arthur explained.

"What? Because you haven't been meeting your full potential before now?" Merlin said causing Arthur to scowl at him. "You know that has nothing to do with why I'm marrying you." Merlin added.

"I also know how much money you make and that you'll have trouble supporting yourself and a child on that income." Arthur stated crossing his arms defensively.

"Lots of single parent families get by on what I make."

"Maybe they do." Arthur countered. "But you don't have to."

"So what? You're just going to give me all that money? Did you somehow miss the conversation yesterday where I mentioned that I'm a Morgan? Trust me when I tell you Arthur, I will be fine."

Arthur's lips curved into the barest hint of a smile. "No. I didn't miss that, but I also know how damn stubborn you are. And I know your not going to ask your family for money. If you were the kind of person to do that, you wouldn't be in this position to begin with."

Hmm. Good point. "But," Merlin countered, "you thought you'd talk me into taking twenty percent of your assets?"

"No. I rather hoped you'd sign the prenup without noticing that part."

Well that Merlin could believe. Arthur was arrogant enough to think he could get away with a stunt like that.

"Even if I had signed the papers, I still wouldn't have taken the money. That's almost-" Merlin struggled to do the math. Arthur, no doubt, knew exactly how much that was, probably to the last penny. "that's ...over ten million pounds." Certainly more than the trust fund he'd never bothered to claim, which was somewhere around eight million. "I'm not taking that kind of money from you."

Arthur shrugged dismissively. "It's a drop in the bucket.'

"It's a fifth of the bucket. That's a lot of drops." Merlin forced out a long, slow breath. Why was he so angry? Why exactly? He gave voice to his thoughts as they came to him, not willing to give himself time to soften them. "Look, you've always been arrogant and controlling.?

Arthur raised his eyebrows. Probably in surprise that he'd say it out loud to him. He certainly couldn't be shocked by the idea. "At work, it's fine" He continued. "You're my boss. But if we're going to get married, then the second we walk out that door each day-" He jabbed a finger towards the door "-you have to stop trying to control everything. Even if this isn't a real marriage."

"Merlin. I'm not-"

"But you are," Merlin said, cutting him off. "Don't you get it? If I wanted to sit back and be taken care of for the rest of my life, I never would have left Ealdor. I like having to work for a living. I've been rich. I know that money alone won't make me happy. And I also know that being with someone who's always trying to control me will make me miserable. So either you back off, or we walk away from this now."

Arthur stared at him for a long time, his gaze hard-edged and steely. But Merlin didn't back down. He couldn't. His gut told him that if he lost his foothold now, he wouldn't recover. Besides, he was far too used to intimidating glares from his father or uncle to do that. Eventually, he even smiled. "See. Your jedi mind tricks don't work on me."

Arthur's lips twitched at Merlin's comment and finally, he gave a terse, reluctant nod, as if agreeing to keep his own money was an affront to his personal honor.

"There's something else you should know.'

"Okay." Merlin nodded.

"In the event of my death, you and Mordred get it all."Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but Arthur raised his hand to cut him off. "I'm not budging on that one." He stated firmly.

"What about your family?" Merlin knew Arthur didn't see them often. But they did exist. "Surely you want them to have your fortune?"

Arthur's eyes were dark and shuttered. His face almost expressionless. "There are certain charitable organizations that I've already provided for. If I die whilst we're married, I want you to have the rest.'

Merlin studied him for a moment. Since this was the most he'd ever heard him say about his family-precisely nothing-he had to assume Arthur was serious. And he thought his relationship with his family was screwed up. "'Okay." He said softly. "Then we'll just have to take good care of you for the next two years. Make sure you take your vitamins." He smiled at his own joke, but Arthur didn't return the smile.

"Now that that's settled, I'll go tell lance he can do his job and protect his client." He'd almost made it out the door when Arthur's words stopped him.

"I don't want you to fall in love with me."

Hand already on the doorknob, Merlin turned to face him, eyebrows raised. "Excuse me?"

Arthur's expression was so strained it was almost comical. "If we're going to be together a year or maybe two, I don't want you imagining that you've fallen in love with me."

Fighting back a chuckle, Merlin searched his face, but saw no signs that he was joking. In fact, he looked so serious, it made his heart catch in his chest. He had to force a teasing smile. "Why? Because you're so charming and charismatic that I won't I wont be able to be constantly in your company without falling in love?" Arthur didn't smile at him so he asked. "Is this a separate issue from the money or are the millions of pounds supposed to ease my heartache if I did fall in love with you?"

Arthur's lips twitched, but Merlin wasn't sure if it was suppressed humor or irritation. "Separate issue. But I'm serious."

Merlin could certainly see that. It made him feel uneasy, "Let me guess, You're not the type of man that believes in love." He could imagine that all too easily. Arthur may feel physical passion-he'd proven that clearly enough when they'd kissed yesterday-but love was something else entirely.

But to his surprise, Arthur shook his head. "Oh, I believe in love. I know exactly how crippling it can be. That's why I don't want you to imagine you've fallen in love with me."

"Okay." Merlin said, torn between wanting to reassure him, without telling him outright that he had no intention of risking his heart. Finally he made the only counteroffer he could think of. "Then don't fall in love with me either."

Arthur studied him a moment, slowly smiling.

"What? You think you're above falling in love with me? I'll have you know I'm very loveable." Arching an eyebrow Merlin continued. "I'm cute. And plucky. Greater men than you have fallen in love with me."

"I'm sure they have." Arthur said smiling fully.

"You think I'm joking?" Merlin demanded, all fake belligerence.

"Not for a minute.' Arthur conceded. And the really pathetic thing was, he was being honest. In this moment, watching Merlin trying to cajole him into laughing, it was all to easy to imagine falling in love with him. Smart, funny, never taking himself too seriously. Merlin was the whole package. Men who wanted a husband and family were probably waiting in line for a man like Merlin. Too bad he wasn't one of them.

"Just don't forget why I'm doing this. This isn't a favor to you. This isn't because I'm a nice guy so don't romanticize me. Don't forget, not even for a minute, why I'm here. Why I'm doing this."

Merlin looked at his, his eyes wide, his expression suddenly serious but also a little bemused, as if he had no idea where Arthur was going with this. "Remind me then. Why are you doing this?"

Arthur was struck-not for the first time-that Merlin wasn't merely cute, but truly beautiful. With his sharp cheekbones and soft, plump lips, his face had more than it's fair share of cuteness. But he was also lovely, with his dark blue eyes and luminous skin. And yes, Arthur even found those slightly large ears endearing.

Arthur was so struck by Merlin's beauty that for a second, he forgot the question. Forgot where he was trying to direct this conversation. To remind Merlin that he wasn't some hero.

"I'm doing this for the same reason I've done everything else since I was eleven. I'm doing this because it serves my own goals. It serves AGE."

Merlin gave him an odd look, as something almost like pity flickered across his expression. "If you don't want me to romanticize you, then maybe you shouldn't have tried to give me a big nasty chuck of your fortune. So I'm going to reserve the right to think you're not the heartless bastard you pretend to be."

"You have to believe me when I tell you that everything I've done for you was for my own benefit. Keeping you in London was the best thing for AGE. Marrying you is the best thing for AGE. That's the only reason I'm doing it."

Finally Merlin nodded. "Okay, If you want to keep insisting you're so coldhearted, then I'll try to remind myself as often as possible. We'll start with the prenup, okay? We'll ask Lance to rewrite it so I have to give you twenty percent of my money . How does that sound?" He smiled as he asked, but it looked strained.

"Merlin-" Arthur started.

"At the very least, we'll put Lance out of his misery. We'll go with the bare-bones prenup. Everyone walks away with what they had when they came into the marriage."

Arthur sighed. It wasn't what he wanted. Not by a long shot. But he was starting to realize that when it came to Merlin, he wasn't ever going to get what he wanted.

Merlin paused at the door and looked over his shoulder, his forehead furrowed in thought. "The thing is, Arthur, if you really were a heartless bastard, you wouldn't have warned me off."


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days passed in a blur of planning and activity. Merlin often felt as if his life was moving at double time while he was stuck at half speed. He'd felt like that ever since he'd gotten that fateful call about Will, less than two weeks before. His shock and grief were finally beginning to recede into the background. Though he no longer faced the daunting challenge of moving back to Ealdor, agreeing to marry Arthur had created even more turmoil in his life.

True to his word, Arthur managed to cram in considerable work on the proposal for the government contract, delegating things he normally would have handled himself. Gwaine and Morgana flew home immediately with their daughter, Freya. Edwin and Mithian arrived a few days later, having cut short their honeymoon, something Merlin still felt bad about. Mithian insisted that seventeen days in a tropical paradise was enough for anyone and that she wouldn't miss the wedding for anything. Her reassurances didn't make Merlin feel any less guilty.

The Sunday before the wedding, he was still half asleep watching a rerun of Doctor Who wishing Mordred seemed half as drowsy. Arthur had eventually convinced him that he should move into his house. Since they were planning on being married for a year or more, Arthur pointed out that people were unlikely to believe they were truly in love if they weren't living together. The night before Merlin had pulled out his trusty suitcase and hoped to pack the bare essentials once Mordred fell asleep. If he could stay awake himself. He'd leave his other belongings for some later date.

He hadn't slept well since...well, since taking Mordred, and his exhaustion was creeping up on him. Frankly, it had been all he could do to drag himself out of bed this morning. The middle of the night feedings were just not his thing. He was sitting on the sofa, blearily rocking back and forth, wondering if he could get Mothercare to deliver a rocking chair by the end of the day, when the doorbell rang.

It was a bad sign that it took him so long to identify the noise.

He set the bottle down on the side table, stumbled to his feet and pried the door open, praying that no one on the other end would expect coherent conversation.

Merlin frowned at the sight of Morgana and Mithian. He'd only known Mithian for seven months, but the concern lining the woman's face was obvious in the crinkle between her brows. As if to distract him from her frown, she thrust forward a pink bakery box with the logo Cutie Pies stamped on the top.

"We bought food!" Mithian announced, her tone overly chipper.

Morgana gave Merlin a once-over, then announced, "Since you're obviously too tired to invite us in, why don't you just step aside." She held out her hands. "Here, hand me the baby. You take the doughnuts. Please, eat some before I fight you for them."

Mutely, Merlin handed over the fussy Mordred over to Morgana.

Morgana was the kind of woman who looked as if she didn't have a maternal bone in her body. The jewelry-store-heiress-turned-jewelry-designer had lived in Oxford until falling in love and marrying Gwaine the previous year. How the woman could look glamorous while cradling a baby in her arms, Merlin didn't know. But he did envy the skill, since he was pretty sure he looked as if he was recovering from the flu.

Merlin happily traded the baby for doughnuts.

Though his arms ached from the hours of holding Mordred, the bone-deep weariness melted a bit as he sank his teeth into the dense buttermilk doughnut.

"I'm not sure why you came," He muttered past a mouthful of heaven. "But, frankly, I no longer care. You can hold me at gunpoint. Rob me. Even take the baby. Just leave the doughnuts and I'll be happy."

Morgana stifled a smile as she pressed her bright red lips to the crown of Mordred's head. "You're in that too-exhausted-to-be-tired stage, aren't you?"

After a few minutes of being held, Mordred stopped fussing long enough to put his head down on Morgana's shoulder. And then there was silence. Mordred's eyes drifted closed and he exhaled a slow, shaky breath. Then his his breathing settled into a gentle rhythm of sleep.

Tension seeped out of every pore in Merlin's body.

"Oh, thank goodness," He muttered.

Mithian smiled wryly. "Did you get any sleep at all last night?"

"A couple of hours here and there," He admitted. "This caring for a baby lark is way harder than I expected."

"Oh, honey, you said a mouthful there." Morgana gave a low whistle, no doubt remembering her own new-to-mothering days. Walking with an exaggerated sway, Morgana crossed to the

crib, so she could lay the baby down. "And at least I had seven months to get used to the idea."

The room fell silent as Morgana eased the sleeping Mordred down. Mithian trotted off to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a steaming cup of coffee. "With milk and sugar," She said as she handed it over. "I assume all sane people take it that way."

Merlin took a grateful sip as Morgana asked, "Can we get you anything else? Something to eat maybe? I can't cook worth a damn, but Mithian could rustle up a feast from the barest cupboard."

Merlin didn't doubt it. "I think I'll save room for another doughnut."

"You sure?" Mithian asked, in hushed tones so as not to wake the baby. "I could whip up an omelette. Or something else? I saw some nice cheese in the fridge when I was looking for the milk." With a smile she added, "I could make you a grilled cheese sandwich so good you'll cry."

"No, thank you."

"You should try the grilled cheese," Morgana urged. "It's amazing."

"No, really. I'm okay." Merlin looked from Morgana to Mithian, suddenly suspicious. "Why do I get the feeling I'm being plied with food for nefarious reasons?"

The women exchanged a look.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Come on, spill. What's up?"

Mithian's cheeks reddened with what Merlin could only assume was guilt. Morgana played her cards closer to her chest. Her expression revealed nothing.

"Okay, obviously you have some bad news for me. Either that or you're going to try to get me to join a cult. Which is it?"

Mithian bit down on her lower lip, her chin jutting out at a rebellious angle.

Morgana gave a little eye roll and sighed with obvious exasperation. "Fine," She said, managing to flounce a bit while sitting almost perfectly still. "We're worried about Arthur."

Merlin gave a little grunt of surprise and sat back against the sofa. "Worried? About Arthur?"

"Whatever is going on between you and Arthur." Mithian began, "Obliviously has something to do with Mordred."

Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but Morgana didn't give him the chance.

"Arthur wouldn't talk about it, so I assume you wont either. That's fine. But we're not idiots. Don't forget, you told Gwaine why you were resigning just twenty four hours before you and Arthur announced you were getting married. If I had to guess, I'd say you're pretending to be some happily married couple so your family will let you keep Mordred."

Well, so much for hiding the truth from their friends.

"We're not going to try to stop you.'

"We'll even play along,' Mithian added in. "Anything you need from us, you've got it.'

"But when you're off playing house together, just be very careful.'

For a long moment, Merlin had no idea what to say. He turned away from their careful scrutiny and walked over to the crib where Mordred lay sleeping.

He thought about the conversation he'd had with Arthur before they'd signed the prenup. Apparently, Arthur wasn't the only one who thought he was in danger of falling in love with him. And here Merlin thought he'd hid his attraction to Arthur over the years. Was he really so transparent?

Glancing back at Morgana and Mithian, he forced a perky smile. "Look, I admit Arthur is a great guy. I've always thought so. But i know his dating history probably better than either of you. I know he doesn't open up easily and I'm not going to make the mistake of falling in love with him."

The women exchanged nervous glances, seeming to have an entire conversation with just their eyebrows.

"What?" Merlin demanded after a second, crossing back to the sofa to get a better view of their unspoken exchange.

Mithian kept her mouth shut.

It was Morgana who admitted, "Actually, it's him we're worried about.'

Merlin sank back to the sofa. "You're worried about Arthur? Falling in love with me?"

Mithian nodded.

"Not me falling in love with him, but him. Falling in love with me."

Morgana gave an elegant wave of her hand. "Obviously we don't want to see you left brokenhearted either. But you're a smart man. Very practical. We assumed you can look out for yourself."

"But you're worried that Arthur, the brilliant, analytical CEO is going to get his feelings hurt?" Merlin fought back a giggle.

"Well," Mithian hedged. "Yes.'

Merlin looked from one woman to the other, his amusement fading. "You're serious?"

They nodded.

"I know that Arthur seems..." Mithian trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Detached," Morgana provided. "Ruthless."

Mithian glared her into silence. "You're not helping."

"Like a heartless bastard," Merlin offered quietly.

"Yes!" Morgana agreed.

"But he really isn't," Mithian said quickly. "Don't forget, I've known him longer than you have."

Which was technically true. Mithian had grown up in the same town as Edwin, Gwaine and Arthur. "But you're younger than he is. You didn't even go to school together."

"We overlapped some,' Mithian argued. "And I've seen him in love. Senior year, he was..." she trailed off, apparently struggling to convey the full force of his emotion. "He was just head over heels in love. Crazy in love with this guy. He would have done anything for him."

"Who was he?" Merlin found himself asking.

"Just a guy at school. Chris hadn't grown up in London. His parents were divorced and he moved to live with his dad in senior year."

"And they dated?" Merlin asked.

"A little." Mithian shrugged. "I think mostly Arthur just chased him. Chris flirted a lot and Arthur was determined to win him over. Any grant gesture you can imagine an eighteen year old making, he made it. Flowers, jewelry. The whole package.'

Flowers and jewelry? Merlin knew Arthur didn't have a lot of money growing up. Arthur had told him once that he'd started saving for college when he was twelve. Merlin couldn't even imagine the man he knew taking money out of his precious college fund to buy gifts. For a boyfriend.

"Once," Mithian said, leaning forward and warming up to the story. "Chris told him his mother always bought him birthday cake from the same bakery, so Arthur and the boys drove miles to buy him a cake. On a school day. They got into so much trouble." Mithian chuckled for a second. Then seemed to realize how much she'd revealed about herself. Her blush returned as she sank back against the sofa.

"You were a right little stalker, weren't you? Morgana asked, grinning.

"I had a crush on Edwin. That'as all." She then smiled smugly. "Besides, he eventually came around.'

"I'll say." Morgana bumped her shoulder against Mithian's in easy camaraderie.

"So what happened?" Merlin asked, unwilling to leave the thread of Arthur's story dangling. "Why did they break up?"

"That's the thing," Mithian gave a little shrug. "I'm not sure they were ever really together. And not long after the birthday cake thing, Chris moved back in with his dad. Arthur was..."

"Heartbroken."Morgana supplied.

"No." Mithian frowned thoughtfully. "He was just never the same." She gave her head a little shake, as if she was returning to the present. "But I know it's still there, buried inside of him. The capacity to love like that.'

The women exchanged another one of those pointed glances and Merlin felt a stab of envy. This boy Arthur had loved, Chris...Merlin had never been loved like that. The girls, thats what they had with their husbands. But no one had ever felt that way about him.

He pushed himself to his feet. "I don't think you have to worry. He doesn't love me. I'm sure of it." He forced a bright smile. "You can go home and rest assured I'm not going to crush his heart beneath my boot heal."

"It's not just you we're worried about." Morgana stood also and looked across the room to the crib. "What about Mordred?"

"What about Mordred?" Merlin asked.

"Hve you ever seen Arthur with Freya?" Morgana asked.

"I-" The he broke off. Remembering that he had, once, seen Arthur holding Freya. Right after she had been born, Merlin had bought flowers by and Arthur had been there, an expression of pure wonder on his face as he held the baby.

Merlin nodded, rubbing at his temples, trying to dispel the tension headache that was spiking through his head. When had this all gotten so complicated?

"He's fantastic with kids," Morgana was saying. "He adores Freya. He's been bugging us to have another one in fact."

"And if you are getting married just to fool your family," Mithian said. "And if he falls in love with you or that darling little boy, how do you think he's going to feel when you end the marriage?"

"I-" What could he say to that? He'd never imagined Arthur might fall in love with him. The idea was preposterous. But Mordred! Yeah. He could imagine that. And if they really were married for two years-it might take that long-then he'd have plenty of time for Mordred to wrap him around his tiny finger. He looked up at Morgana and Mithian and found them watching him expectantly. "All I can say, is that when...if we get divorced. I wouldn't dream of keeping him away from Mordred. If he wants to see him, that is. From this moment on, I'll think of Arthur as Mordred's father. Just as I think of myself as his dad."

Arthur as a father. The ideas was...so foreign. So odd. Yet, he knew in his heart that the girls were right to warn him. Arthur was doing this amazing thing for him. Merlin didn't want him to get hurt because of it and he would do everything in his in his power to make sure Arthur didn't. Merlin only wished he was half as confident in his ability to protect himself.

After a long moment, Morgana stood and gave a dramatic sigh. "Very well, then, I suppose there's only one thing left to do.'

"What's that?" Merlin asked hesitantly.

Morgana's face broke into a smile. "Welcome you to the family."


	6. Chapter 6

The wedding itself went off with all the precision of a well planned military maneuver. And it was just about as romantic. A small ceremony performed in a drab registry office in downtown London, it was over so quickly that Arthur felt sure that Mithian and Edwin wished they had stayed in the Caribbean instead of making the trip back.

After that first kiss in Merlin's office had gotten so out of control, he didn't dare cement the ceremony with more than a quick peck. So much for convincing their friends that they were in love. But no one in the office that day seemed surprised, least of all Merlin.

That evening, they swung by Merlin's flat to pick up his suitcase and Mordred's few possessions before heading over to his house. They'd decided to keep Merlin's flat for now. His lease wasn't up for another few months, which would give Merlin plenty of time to decide when he wanted to move into his house and what he wanted to keep in storage.

When they arrived at his house, they discovered that Mithian had made them dinner, and they found it waiting for them in the warming drawer of his kitchen.

He stood beside Merlin in the doorway to the kitchen, staring at the table with a fist clenching his heart. The table had been set with two of the elegant place settings his interior designer had bought seven years ago and which he'd never used. Long, thin tapers sat in the center of the table, a book of matches propped against the candle holder. In between the two chairs sat the new high chair that he'd had delivered. A bottle of unopened champagne sat chilling in a bucket opposite the high chair.

Merlin cleared his throat. "Um..." He hitched Mordred up on his hip. "I think I'll just...um...unpack a few of the bags first. I'm really not that hungry yet."

Before Arthur could muster a response, Merlin took the final suitcase from him and made a dash for the door. Probably a wise decision. Neither of them were ready to have a intimate dinner yet.

Three hours later, Merlin still hadn't made it back downstairs. Arthur had sat at the table, eating in front of his laptop. Finally, he shut his laptop and went in search of Merlin. He found him in the room he'd set aside as a nursery.

Arthur paused just outside the door. Leaning his shoulder against the door frame, for a long moment he simply watched Merlin. The room had been painted pale blue. Butterflies flittered across the walls and bunnies frolicked in the grass painted along the trim. A white cot sat in the corner under a mobile of more butterflies and flowers. Overall, the decor of the room was a little cloying in it's sweetness, but the decorator had assured him that it was perfect for the new addition to his life. This evening, he barely noticed the butterflies, but rather focused his attention on the man sitting in the rocking chair in the corner and the baby he held in his arms.

At some point, Merlin had changed out of his suit and into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, Mordred was asleep in his arms. His eyes were closed , his head tilted back against the headrest of the rocking chair. Only the tensing of his calf as he occasionally nudged the chair into movement indicated that he wasn't asleep too.

He cleared his throat to let Merlin know that he was there.

Merlin's head bobbed up. "Oh," He said, wiggling in the chair to reposition Mordred in his arms without waking him. "How long have you been there?"

"I just walked up."

Merlin glanced down at the baby in his arms as Mordred stirred but didn't wake. "I suppose I should put him down." He whispered, "But I hate to do it. If he wakes up again..."

If the smudges of exhaustion under his eyes were any indication, Mordred wasn't the easiest of babies. No wonder given the upheaval in his young life.

"If he wakes back up," Arthur found himself saying. "then I'll take over and you can get some sleep. You should go eat."

Merlin shook his head. "I can't ask you to do that. That's not why we got married."

There was almost an hint of accusation in his voice.

"Maybe not," Arthur hedged. "But we are married at this point, I'm more rested than you are. A sleepless night won't hurt me, but a good nights sleep could do you a world of good."

"If he needs a bottle in the night-"

"Then I'll give it to him." Arthur stated.

Merlin looked skeptical. "The bottles are downstairs. You just-"

"I saw you mixing the formula, I've got it."

"But-"

"Merlin, Mordred won't be the first baby I've ever fed." Arthur said.

"Oh." After a moment of hesitation, Merlin stood and crossed to the cot..

As Arthur had told him, he knew his way around an infant. It was so obvious to him that Merlin did not. There was a sort of fearful hesitancy to the way he moved. As if he were afraid of breaking Mordred.

Merlin lowered the baby into the cot then stood for a long moment, his hand resting on Mordred before he moved back a step. He cringed as he raised the side of the bed and the hardware clattered. But Mordred slept on and Merlin slowly backed away.

Merlin paused as he closed the door to un-clip the baby monitor from his hip and turn it on, as if Mordred might start crying any second and Merlin would miss it now that he was out of sight. Arthur couldn't help chuckling when Merlin raised the monitor to his ear to listen more closely.

Merlin shot him an annoyed look. "What?"

"You know you're only one room away. You could probably hear him cry without the monitor." When Merlin looked as if he might comment, Arthur reached out and carefully extracted it from his fingers. "Not that you're going to need this tonight anyway."

"I really don't mind staying up with him.'

"This discussion is over." Arthur stated.

Merlin opened his mouth to respond, then snapped it shut, his lips twisting into a wry smile. "I guess I know you well enough to recognize that I'm-the-boss-and-what-I-say-goes tone."

"I have a tone that says all that?"

Merlin snorted. "Yeah. And don't pretend you didn't know it.' He took a step in the direction of the room at the end of the hall-the guest room he'd claimed for his own-then paused. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"Merlin, let's not have another discussion about my motives."

Merlin took a step towards him, closing the distance between them and lowering his voice. "No. I'm not talking about the wedding. I'm talking about all this." He nodded his head in the direction of Mordred's room. "I mean the nursery. The cot. The rocking chair. It's all-"

"It's nothing."

Merlin quirked an eyebrow. "Like the twenty percent nothing? Unless you were up all night hand-painting butterflies and daisies last night, I'm guessing you hired an interior decorator to come in and do this. In less than a week. That's not nothing."

"Morgana mentioned that all you had was a crib."

Merlin smiled a slow, teasing smile. "And you knew that wasn't enough. Being such an expert on babies and everything."

Arthur was struck once again by the idea that this was their wedding night. That if there wasn't a baby asleep in the next room, he might now be lifting that white t-shirt over Merlin's head, stripping him naked.

But of course, if there wasn't a baby asleep in the next room, then there wouldn't have been a wedding in the first place. Let alone a wedding night.

Suddenly, Merlin reached up and cupped Arthur's jaw in his hand. His gaze was soft, his touch gentle. "Thank's for taking such good care of us."

For a solid heartbeat-maybe longer-Arthur's brain seemed to completely stop working. He couldn't remember all the reasons why touching Merlin was such a bad idea. All Arthur knew was how much he wanted him Not just in bed, but here. Like this. Looking up at him as if he was a decent guy who deserved a man like him.

Before he could give in to the temptation to let Merlin go on thinking that, he grabbed Merlin's hand and gently pulled it away from his face. Backing Merlin up a step, he said. "You should go to bed. Catch up on that sleep you've been missing."

He even used his I'm-the-boss tone.

"Right." Merlin gave a chipper little salute. "Got it boss."

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A/N I know this chapter is quite a bit shorter than the previous ones, but I'm trying to update quicker than I have been. Hopefully, by shortening the chapters I will be able to do this. Instead of getting stuck on a paragraph and taking days to think of what to write next.

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Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. And thank you to all those that have followed.


	7. Chapter 7

Merlin had been so sure that he wouldn't be able to sleep, he'd been positive he'd find himself waking at every sound coming from Mordred's feared that he'd lie awake in bed thinking about the moment in the hall. But instead of the sleepless night he expected, he woke ten hours later to the sun streaming in his bedroom window, feeling more rested than he had in weeks. Then he bolted upright in bed as panic clogged his heart. He'd slept through the night. Which meant he'd slept through Mordred waking and needing him God only knows how many times.

Merlin dashed down the hall and into Mordred's room, skidding to a halt beside the cot. It was empty. His heart doubled its already accelerated rate. Where could-

"Morning."

Merlin spun round to see Arthur seated in the rocking chair, Mordred nestled on his lap as he fed him a bottle. Merlin placed a hand on his chest, blowing out a whoosh of air, willing his heart to slow down.

"You have him," He muttered. "He's fine."

Arthur gave him a once-over, his gaze lingering on the vest and boxers he always slept in. Finally Arthur's eyes returned to his. "What did you think happened to him?" He asked.

Merlin tugged at the hem of his his thin white vest before crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't know," He admitted. "It's the first morning in...what, almost three weeks now, that he hasn't been the one to wake me. For all I knew, he'd been abducted by aliens. I panicked."

Arthur's lips curved in an amused smile. "Obviously."

For a second Merlin was entranced by the transformation of his face. He had a smooth, charming smile he used at work. Merlin thought of it as his client-wooing smile. Arthur also had a wolfish grin. That was his I'm-about-to-devour-some-innocent-company expression. But neither of those reached his eyes. Neither held any warmth. But this slight, amused twist of his lips wrinkled the corners of his eyes, and it nearly took Merlin's breath away.

Before he could respond, or do something really stupid like melt into a puddle of goo at Arthur's feet, Arthur continued. "Mordred and I have been up for hours."

"I'm-"

"Don't apologize." Said Arthur. "I'd have woken you if he'd been any trouble."

Merlin's eyebrows shot up. When was Mordred not trouble? He fussed a lot. Wanted to be held constantly. Screamed any time Merlin put him down. In general, made Merlin feel like a real winner as a parent.

"We got up a couple of hours ago,' Arthur was saying. He continued rocking the chair as he spoke, looking down at Mordred the whole time. "He had his morning bottle. Then we made some oatmeal. He sat on my lap while I read through some email's. He spit up the bottle on the office floor. Thank god for the plastic mat my chair sits on, right Mordred?"

Oookay. Maybe that explained why his smile looked so different than his normal grin. Obviously, it was Arthur that had been abducted by aliens and replaced by some sort of pod person. The man in front of him bore no resemblance to the cold and calculating businessman Merlin had dealt with for the past five years.

Unfortunately, this new guy was way more appealing, which was so annoying.

Arthur looked up at him, his expression clouding with concern. "Anything wrong?" He asked.

"No, I... Why?"

"You looked a little, faint or something."

"No I'm...great. Fantastic. But hungry. That's it. I must be hungry."

"Okay." The concern lining Arthur's brow had taken on a decidedly skeptical gleam. As though he suspected Merlin might need to spend some time in a padded room "Why not get dressed and grab yourself some breakfast. Mordred and I will be fine here."

As if to signal his assent, Mordred blinked up at him with wide blue eyes, then gave the bottle a particularly vicious suck before sighing and allowing his eyes to drift closed. He looked for all the world like a baby completely happy and at peace.

Emotion choked Merlin's throat, something that felt unpleasantly like envy. He'd worked his butt off for that baby over the past few weeks, turned his life upside down, prepared to battle his family to the end. And yet Mordred had never once looked at him with dreamy contentment. Then again, Arthur always had been quick to win over anyone.

Merlin sighed. " I wish he was half as peaceful in my arms as he is with you."

Because if growing up a Morgan had taught him anything, it was that the best way to deal with negative emotions was to voice them aloud. Get them out into the open rather than letting them simmer. Still, admitting such a feeling was unpleasant, so he softened his words with diffident shrug. "He seems to fight me constantly. Makes me wonder if-" Merlin blew out a breath. "I don't know, if he knows I don't have what it takes to be a good dad."

When he looked back at Arthur, his smile was still there, but the humor in his eyes had dimmed to understanding.

"Then thing about dealing with babies-" Arthur gently pulled the bottle teat from Mordred's mouth, then maneuvered him so his belly rested against his shoulder. "-it's about five percent instinct and ninety percent experience. Plus they're very intuitive-that's all they've got. So if you're nervous, he'll pick up on it and he'll be nervous too."

Arthur gave Mordred's back several thumps. After about the tenth, he burped with even opening his eyes.

"How'd you do that? I can never get him to burp."

"Like I said. It's experience. If he's been a difficult baby so far, it's not because he has you pegged as a bad parent. You just don't know all the tricks yet. Besides, he's been through a lot in his short life."

Was it really that simple? Time would heal all wounds. Watching Mordred sleep on Arthur's shoulder, Merlin certainly hoped so. But he couldn't help worrying if there was more to it than that. That there were deficiencies that no amount of experience could compensate for. After all, he'd never be Mordred's real dad.

Almost as if he could read his mind, Arthur added. "Give him some time. Give yourself some time too." Then Arthur let out a bark of laughter. "God. I sound like Jeremy kyle.":

Merlin laughed along with him, despite the lump of sorrow burrowing in his chest. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone at work." He laughed.

"Thanks."

A moment of silence stretched between them. Merlin knew he should leave. Take advantage of Mordred's sleep to go shower or something. Yet he found his feet rooted to the ground as he watched Arthur rock the tiny baby.

"Why aren't you a father?" Merlin asked, almost before he he realized he meant to say it.

Arthur arched an eyebrow.

Heat crept into Merlin's cheeks. "I mean, clearly you're great with kids. It seems like a no-brainer that you should have some of your own."

"I get frustrated enough trying to get Edwin to clean up his third of the office." Arthur replied.

"I'm serious."

"So am I. I've never had any desire to be a father." Arthur's tone was harsh, leaving no room for doubt. The touchy-feely portion of their discussion was over. "He should be asleep for a couple of hours at least. You should take advantage of it and get some breakfast."

"Thanks. I will." Merlin left the room without looking back, but with Arthur's words still echoing in his mind. He'd never wanted to be a father. Yet he'd just signed up for a two year gig. Merlin had assumed when Arthur had asked him to marry him that he wouldn't be playing an active part in Mordred's life. But less than twenty-four hours in and Arthur had cared for Mordred more than he had.

Arthur was going through an awful lot of trouble to keep him around. Merlin could only hope that he was half as good an assistant as Arthur thought he was. Because he was certainly going to need to earn his keep.

Since Arthur had insisted repeatedly that he wasn't needed, Merlin wandered down to the kitchen for breakfast. He'd never even stepped into the house before last night. It wasn't quite what he expected. Like Edwin, a few years before, Arthur had bought one of the ridiculously expensive houses in London. Though the homes were aging and modest, the neighborhood was one of the most expensive in the interior of Arthur's house had been renovated to its early 20th-century glory with meticulous detail. The furniture was a collection of authentic antiques and clean lined Japanese pieces that complemented them. Merlin found the kitchen surprisingly well stocked. Not in the mood to cook anything, he rummaged through the pantry until he found a box of pop tarts. He eyes them warily for a second-because Arthur did not seem like the frosted strawberry pop tart type-then snagged the package and headed back upstairs.

He took a leisurely shower, nibbling on the pastry as he dressed. Arthur had never been one of those men who didn't know how to ask for help. If he needed Merlin before now, he would have woken him up. Merlin had gotten enough phone calls at six o clock in the morning over the years to know that. Whatever Arthur was doing with Mordred, he didn't need him immediately .Confident that Mordred was still asleep, Merlin took the time to linger over his grooming in a way he hadn't in the past couple of weeks. He did thing like brush his hair. Floss his teeth. And put on some chapstick.

The rest had done wonders for him. Not only had he finally gotten a decent nights sleep, but Arthur had handled Mordred with perfect competence. Just as he said he would. That one small thing renewed his faith in this whole endeavor.

They had a week before they left for Ealdor. Which was more than enough time for them to settle into a enough routine to fool his friends and family about their relationship. Arthur obviously knew enough about babies to be able to help him over the rough spots he was sure to encounter.

They'd spend a quick week in Ealdor convincing his family that they were the perfect guardians. Then they'd head back to London and their lives would return to normal. Or as normal as they could since he and Arthur were now married and living together. All in all, life seemed damn good.

Once he'd verified that Mordred wasn't asleep in the nursery, Merlin headed downstairs. He was about halfway down when he heard voices. Trepidation tripped along his nerves as he paused, head tilted to better hear the conversation coming from the kitchen.

Heart pounding, he made his way there. It could be Gwaine or Edwin. Or a neighbor. Or...Then he heard it. Just outside the swinging doors leading to the kitchen. A deep welsh accent.

"We would have come earlier if you'd given us more warning that you were planning on getting married."

Merlin squeezed his eyes closed, fighting back a burst of panic as he blew out a long breath. Then he shoved open the door and walked into the kitchen. To face his family.


	8. Chapter 8

About ten minutes after Merlin had disappeared to take a shower, his family had arrived on his doorstep in a tidal wave of hearty handshakes, welcoming slaps and tearful hugs. It was a bit overwhelming, given that Arthur had never met any of them and would have had no idea who they were if he hadn't recognized Merlin's uncle Henry, from the news clips he's seen of the MP. And before Arthur knew it, Merlin's parents Balinor and Hunith, had swept into the house, followed by Henry carefully lending an arm to the infamous Mary.

Arthur had barely recovered from the stinging clap on the arm from Henry, when he faced down Mary. After Merlin's description, he'd half expected an old battleship of a woman. Instead, Mary was thin and stooped, fragile in appearance despite the strength of will that seemed to radiate from her.

A hush fell over the other members of the family as she shook his hand and appraised him. She had the wizened appearance of a woman who had lived hard and buried too many loved ones, but who was not yet ready to release her hold on the rest of the clan.

She eyed him up and down. "Well, at least you're real."

"You doubted it?" Arthur asked.

She sniffed indignantly. "I would put it past Merlin to invent a husband just to defy me."

"I assure you, ma'am. I'm real."

"As for what kind of father you'll for my grandson, that we'll have to see about." Then her steely gaze narrowed with sharp perception and raked over Arthur a second time. Finally she gave a little nod. "I've never had much use for overly handsome men. But then, neither has my Merlin, so I suppose there must be more to you than good looks."

Arthur offered a wry smile. "I should hope so."

It was almost thirty minutes later when Merlin came down. The guarded look on his face told as he walked through the door told Arthur that he'd heard them before entering the kitchen.

Merlin was greeted with hugs that lasted longer and more joyful tears than Arthur would have expected, given the way Merlin had described the strained relationship he shared with his family. Throughout it all, Merlin kept a careful eye on Mordred, who was currently being held by Hunith, as if Merlin expected that any moment the family might escape with the baby.

"What are you all doing here?" Merlin asked when he finally able to get a word in edgewise.

"Oh, honey." Merlin's mother cooed, her voice all sugary sweet. "Of course we would come for your wedding. If we'd had enough warning, we would have been here." Hunith shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "I can't believe I missed the wedding of my only son."

"I did tell you a week ago we were getting married. If you'd really wanted to come, you could have."

"But Henry had a meeting," Hunith bemoaned. "and we had to wait until he could fit the trip into his schedule."

Arthur felt a pang of regret, but Merlin muttered, "I'm glad you have your priorities in order.'

Balinor's head snapped up. "Young man, you'll speak respectfully to your mother."

"Or what?" Merlin asked, anger creeping into his voice. "You'll cut off my allowance? The woman has missed almost every major event in my life since I was ten. And those that she showed up for, she criticized endlessly. I think she'll live."

"Merlin-" Hunith started.

Then Mary cleared her throat and both Merlin and his mother fell silent. Their heads swiveled to face her.

"I'm the wake of our Will's recent and tragic death, it is time for you to put aside you past differences." She stared them both down. Mother and son both dropped their gazes. "Now, the drive from Ealdor was long and I'd like to clean up a bit before lunch." Mary turned to Arthur. "I assume all the bedrooms are on the second floor?"

"They are," Arthur replied, unsure what she was getting at.

"Very well, then. I noticed an office just off the foyer. I'll sleep there. I don't do stairs well. Henry, please arrange for a bed to bed delivered before evening. In the meantime, I'll rest on the sofa there."

Arthur watched in amazement as the MP practically leaped to help his mother out of the kitchen. A moment later, Merlin's father had been sent out to the limo to instruct the driver where to bring the bags, Hunith had retreated to the nursery 'to get reacquainted with her great-nephew,'

The second Arthur and Merlin were all alone, Merlin practically threw up his hands. "Why didn't you come get me the second they arrived?"

"You were dressing. I told them they could wait until you came down.'

Merlin tilted his head, studying him as if he were some foreign life form he'd never seen before. "You stood up to them?"

Ah so that's what had Merlin so puzzled. "Yes. I stood up to them. Do people not normally do that?"

Merlin gave a bemused chuckle. "No. People don't normally do that." Shaking his head, he started carrying coffee cups from the table to the sink. Almost under his breath, he said. "I once dated a guy whose parents were lifelong members of Greenpeace. He'd spent every summer since he was ten protesting about whaling in Japan. He'd been a vegan since he was three. Within thirty minutes of meeting my family, he was eating barbecue and smoking cigars with Henry on the back porch." Shaking his head, he started rinsing out coffee cups and loading them in the dishwasher. "Within a week, he'd accepted a job working for my dad."

Arthur studied the tense lines of his back. His tone had been sad, but resigned. "The guy sounds like an idiot."

"No. He was very smart. The last I heard of him, Cendred was leading uncle Henry's campaign. And dad wouldn't promote anyone who wasn't brilliant."

Arthur gently turned Merlin away from the sink and tipped his chip up to look at him. "That's not the kind of idiot I mean." He said softly.

Merlin's gaze met his, confusion in his eyes for a minute. Then his gaze cleared as he realized the meaning. Pink tinged his cheeks as Merlin pulled away from his touch. Tucking a strand of hair behind his ear he swallowed. "Thank you. For standing to them. I mean. For everything."

"You're welcome." Arthur replied.

Merlin gave a bitter laugh. "You say that now. But you don't actually know what you've gotten yourself into." He looked pointedly at the kitchen door through which his family had left not long before. "This nonsense with them sweeping down on us unannounced? Inviting themselves to stay here? Ordering a bed for Mary to sleep on? This is all just the beginning. It'll only get worse."

"Of course it will.' Arthur stated as blandly as he could. "You think I didn't know that the second I opened the door?

"I...I don't know. I guess... Most people don't see them for what they are."

"Try to have a little faith in me." Arthur chided.

"I'm just warning you. My dad and uncle Henry will woo you over with their good ol' boy charm. And just when you think that you're their buddy and they're harmless gentlemen, they'll use that keen intelligence of theirs to manipulate you. And if they can't control you, they'll try to squash you."

"Consider me warned." Arthur nodded. "Coming here was obviously a power play. They think they have the upper hand because they've chosen the time and location of the showdown. They're trying to establish themselves as the decision makers in the relationship. What about your mother? She seems harmless enough."

"Um, no." Merlin thought about it. Of all the family members, his relationship with his mother was the most complicated. There were times when he actually liked his mother. Of course, he loved all of them, but his mother he actually liked. But he'd never understood her. And his mother had her moments of being just as vicious as uncle Henry. "In all those scuba-diving trips you take, you ever been in the water with a jellyfish?"

"Several times. They sting like hell."

"Exactly. They look delicate and frail, but they have more than enough defenses. That's my mother in a nutshell. She can play the victim, but she's as smart as-" That's when it hit him. "Oh, crap."

"What?"

"The bedroom!" Merlin leaped to his feet and dashed for the stairs.

Arthur snagged his arm on the way past. "What?" He repeated.

Merlin whispered, just in case anyone was close enough to hear, "The guest bedroom. Where I slept last night."

Arthur continued to stare at him blankly.

Merlin lowered his voice to a hiss. "Last night. On our wedding night. I slept in the guest room." He resisted the urge to hit Arthur on the head. "And now my mother is upstairs with Mordred. And if she sees the guest room, she'll realize we didn't sleep together last night."

This time Merlin didn't wait to see if Arthur's sluggish brain had started working at a normal speed. Instead, he pulled his arm from his hand and made a break for the stairs. Arthur was hot on his heels as he took the stairs two at a time.

Merlin stopped at the top, breathing rapidly through his mouth as he looked around for his parents. A long gallery hall ran from the top of the stairs to the guest bedroom at the end. They'd have to pass the nursery to get there.

Crap, crap and double crap Merlin thought.

This was going to be tricky. He crept down the hall, praying that Arthur would walk as softly. Or head back downstairs if he couldn't.

He tiptoed right up to the doorway and pressed himself against the wall, listening. He heard the faint, steady creak, creak of the rocking chair.

If his mom was sitting in the chair rocking Mordred, there was a good chance he could sneak past to the guest room, make the bed and sneak out with anyone being the wiser. Or more importantly, becoming suspicious.

Slinking past the door, he heard two things that would have stopped him in his tracks if he hadn't been in such a desperate hurry. The first was Arthur's heavy footfall behind him. The next was his dad's voice from within the nursery.

Merlin glanced through the open door, but saw no one. Maybe they'd make it. But when he heard the rocking chair still, he grabbed Arthur's hand and made a dash for it.

If his parents heard them and followed, he and Arthur would never have time to actually make the bed. Certainly not neatly enough to put his dad off the scent.

And this wasn't the day to leave it up to fate.

Pulling Arthur into the room after him, Merlin turned him so that his back was facing the door, then flashed Arthur a wry smile. "Sorry about this.'

"About what?"

Merlin only had an instant to appreciate how charming Arthur looked with that bemused expression on his face before he launched himself at him. They both tumbled backward onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. Arthur might have gasped with surprise, but Merlin didn't have chance to notice, as he pressed his mouth to Arthur's and kissed him.

The second Arthur felt Merlin's mouth on his, he gave up trying to figure out what he was doing. Merlin had been babbling about the bedroom one minute and kissing him like a man overwhelmed with desire the next. A smart man knew when to hold his questions for later.

Instead, he wrapped his hand around the back of Merlin's head and deepened the kiss. Merlin's lips moved over his in sensual abandon, his tongue stroking against his in the kind of soul-deep kiss that made a man forget everything except the burning need to possess.

Desire pounded through him, heating his blood and tightening his groin. He fought against the desperate need to strip Merlin naked and plow into him. A need that had been building within him for what seemed like years. Hell, probably had been years. As desperately as he wanted Merlin, he didn't want this. This frantic, rapid rush of sex without fulfillment.

Arthur wanted more. He wanted all of him.

Rolling Merlin onto his back, he took control of the kiss. Merlin's hand started pulling his shirt out from his waistband. Arthur was sure that if Merlin's hot hand so much as touched his bare chest, he'd lose the last shreds of his control. So he grabbed both his hands in his and pulled them over Merlin's head, pinning them there. Merlin let out a low groan, arching his back off the bed.

Yes. This was what Arthur wanted: Merlin, on the brink. As desperate and needy as he himself felt.

He slowed the kiss down, exploring every sweet corner of Merlin's mouth. Loving his sleepy flavor, the faint hint of coffee. Merlin's hips bucked against his grinding against his erection. And Merlin was just as hard.

But it wasn't even. Merely kissing Merlin would never be enough. Not when there was so much of his body left to explore. That pale shoulder that had been tempting him for so long. That tender swath of skin along his collarbone. The hollow at the base of his throat. The glimpse of his belly Arthur sometimes saw when Merlin rose up on his toes to get a fresh ream of printer paper.

Arthur's hand sought the hem of Merlin's shirt. He slipped his hand up to his rib cage, relishing how incredibly soft Merlin's skin was.

But was this really what he wanted? A quick grope in the guest bedroom when Merlin's family were just down the hall?

No. He wanted Merlin naked. Laid out before him like a feast. He wanted hours. Days.

He wanted-

Arthur's head jerked up as he pulled back from Merlin and sent him a piercing look.

His family was just down the hall. What the hell had Merlin been-

A sound came from the doorway. A man clearing his throat. Arthur whipped his head round and saw Merlin's parents standing in the doorway. Hunith stood with her hands propped on her hips, but the teasing smile on her lips softened any reproach in her gaze. Balinor, on the other hand, looked ready to throttle him.

Merlin's dad growled-actually growled-with displeasure and took a step towards him. Merlin's mother grabbed her husband by the arm. Though the petite woman couldn't possibly have had the strength to stop the man in his tracks, her touch still gave him pause.

"Merlin, your father and I will be waiting for you in the hall. Why don't you come out in a minute when you've had a chance to get yourselves...under control."

A moment later the guest bedroom door closed.

Arthur rolled off Merlin, planted his feet firmly on the ground and dropped his head into his waiting hands.

What a mess.

Merlin's parents-waiting in the hall with his dad looking as if he wanted to tear his head off-were the least of his worries. Whatever criticism they'd deliver he'd take.

None of it would even come close to the talking to he was going to give himself. He'd completely lost control. For several moments there, he'd forgotten where they were. Forgotten that Merlin wasn't really his to take whenever he wanted. Forgotten that this was merely a sham.

Worse still was the fact that Merlin hadn't. Clearly he'd manipulated the situation-manipulate him-all so that his family wouldn't notice the fact that he'd obviously slept in the guestroom. And it hadn't even occurred to Arthur that's what he had been doing.

Arthur drew in several deep breath, but barely felt calmer. The scent of Merlin was heavy in the air, and with every breath Merlin only seemed to fill more of the room, rather than less.

He sat up fully, looking over his shoulder. Merlin had scrambled back into the corner of the bed, pressed against the headboard. Merlin looked almost afraid of him. Arthur didn't blame him, but his control felt too shaky now to offer any reassurances.

Merlin bit down on his lip as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. It was a ridiculous effort , fixing that one strand of hair when the rest were still so mused.

"I-" Merlin started to say, then cleared his throat. "Boy, that was close."

Not trusting himself to say anything yet, Arthur merely raised an eyebrow. Apparently Merlin had no idea just how close that had been. Just how lucky he was that his parents had walked in, since Arthur had been about three minutes away from taking him right there.

"I-I'm sorry." Merlin stammered. "I couldn't think of any other way to distract them from the bed."

Arthur pushed himself to his feet. "I doubt your parents noticed the bed."

"Merlin scrambled up onto his knees. "No. I mean, that was the idea, right?"

Arthur gave a tight little nod, hating him a little bit in that moment. Or at least hating that Merlin was still thinking coherently when he'd lost the ability. "Yeah." He said as blandly as he could manage. "Apparently it was."

"I-" Merlin climbed off the bed, coming to stand right beside him. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing," Arthur ordered. "We all make mistakes, I'm just not used to making such stupid ones."

Merlin opened his mouth as if to say something, but snapped again when Arthur brusquely smoothed down his hair. Then, since he couldn't seem to keep his hands off him, Arthur pressed one quick kiss to his temple. "Let's go face your parents."


End file.
